GAMBLER’S GOODBYE
Rogers on final world tour
Just like the character of The Gambler he immortalized in his signature song, Kenny Rogers knows when to walk away.
The crossover country icon brings his final world tour, dubbed The Gambler’s Last Deal, to the nation’s capital Saturday, topping the marquee for the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival’s opening weekend.
Rogers, 78, may be best-known for his signature 1978 hit or for his collaborations with longtime friends, Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie. But he never thought there was any mystery to his broad appeal, his hitmaking ability or his talent for topping both country and pop charts.
“I guess it was that I went to places that country artists weren’t going. I went to New York City, I went to Ottawa,” he said. “And the great thing about country music is once you get in, you don’t get out.”
Rogers spoke with Postmedia about a career that has spanned six decades, his interests and passions outside of music, what keeps him going, and why it’s time to hang up his spurs.
Q This is the Gambler’s Last Deal. Why now?
A I have 12-year-old identical twin boys, and I’m missing so much of their life and I just decided that’s more important to me. They asked me the other day, “Dad, what are you going to do when you quit singing?” I said I thought I’d come home and spend all my time with them, and the both put their head in their hands and went, “Oh, my God.” So I don’t think they’re as happy about it as I am.
Q What will you miss most about the road?
A My band’s been with me 40-something years, I’ll miss all those guys and the crew ... I learned how to hire and I never learned how to fire. They’re good people. I mean, I’ve seen them have children and I’ve seen their children grow up and have children, and so that gives you some sense of what that relationship is all about.
Q Looking back on nearly six decades, what moments are you most proud of ?
A Working with Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton were the two things that really stood out for me, and I don’t know why, but I guess it’s because they’re both such great talents, and we had such huge success with what we did together. That always makes it more fun.
Q Is there a period of your career you’re most fond of that might be overlooked?
A I would say the period during We Are the World (the 1985 USA For Africa song Rogers still regularly performs). It was one of the least selfish times of music; people were doing things to help other people, and I was so thrilled and flattered to be a part of that.
I remember going into the studio that night feeling pretty cocky — I thought I would be the big star in there — and I walked in that room and it was a very humbling experience. You realize you’re nothing compared to all those people, and that’s what made the song so good. Everyone felt like they had to compete with other people who were at their best.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote it. And I think it changed the landscape of music.
Q You’ve tried acting, written a memoir and a novel. What other creative outlets keep you going?
A From time to time it’s good to push yourself and see what you can do. I played tennis for eight years, and I played with some of the best players in the world and I developed a national ranking. That was fun, but then I couldn’t do that anymore because I couldn’t move as well.
So then I took up photography and I’m going next week into the Smithsonian Institution for photography. So it’s very rewarding, but I’ve always kinda been like that. I mean, I do one thing at a time, but I’m an impulsive obsessive. I impulsively get myself involved with something and I obsess with it to see how good I can get. I’ve been really lucky to have good people to help me and teach me.
Q Do you have any plans to publish your photography?
A I’m really lucky, I’ve been all over the world, and I took my cameras and took pictures from all over the world. So I have a book I’m thinking of doing called Places I’ve Been and Things I’ve Seen. There’s some wonderful pictures in there.
I’m going to have to edit those down, but that’s the fun of it: sitting down and saying, “Wow, that’s spectacular,” because “good” doesn’t make it in those books.
I impulsively get myself involved with something, and I obsess with it to see how good I can get. I’ve been really lucky to have good people to help me and teach me.